Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Curiosity piqued, Mirabella tapped into the news feed and sure enough, the top trending headline screamed, “Summer Lip-Sync Scandal.”
Right beneath it was another hot topic, “Summer Accused of Plagiarism.”
“Ms. Bennett, that concludes my report.”
At that moment, the head of the International Marketing Division stood rigid at the conference table, his spine icy with tension, much like a convict awaiting sentence.
Mirabella lifted her gaze, noting how he hardly dared to breathe. She spoke with calm authority, “Not bad. Proceed with the plan, but keep an eye on the budget.”
“Thank you for your approval, Ms. Bennett.” The division head exhaled in relief and took his seat.
“This year has been demanding for everyone. I’ve received several emails about certain concerns, and I’d like to address them now. Since it’s the first year I took over Collins Fashion, there are questions about whether to hold the annual gala, if it’s necessary, and which date it should be on. The HR head can organize an anonymous vote for all staff to decide.”
The executives nodded in agreement. While some employees preferred to skip the annual gala, others relished the opportunity. An anonymous vote would allow everyone to express their opinions withoutfear.
“As for the matter that’s on everyone’s mind—the year-end bonus—rest assured that the company won’t let you down. The finance head will announce the details in a couple of days. Furthermore, regarding the holiday break.”
All executives immediately tensed, straightening in their seats, eager to learn if the company would offer time off, and if so, for how long, and whether it would be paid leave.
“The national holidays totaled seven days off. However, since everyone has worked so hard this year, I’ve decided to extend the holiday. I’ll give you a full twelve days of paid leave.”
Mirabella’s announcement was met with a round of applause and cheers, faces alight with joy.
Such an extended paid holiday was nearly impossible in other companies.
“During these twelve days, each department will need to have at least two staff members on duty to keep the company running smoothly. The administrative head will compile a list in advance. Those willing to work overtime will be paid five times their normal wage.”
The crowd gasped. Five times? Wasn’t that a bit much?
Most companies offered double, maybe triple pay for overtime. Quintuple pay was unprecedented!
“I’ll do the overtime!” blurted the perpetually single administrative head, “I’m up for working all twelve days straight!”
Laughter rippled through the room, and everyone seemed to appreciate the new policy.
“Any other questions?” Mirabella’s eyes swept over the group.
“No further questions.”“Nothing from me, Ms. Bennett.”
“All clear here.”
“Then let’s call it a day,” Mirabella declared. As they dispersed, everyone smiled.
Ever since Mirabella took over the company, everyone’s treatment had genuinely improved, and working conditions had become more comfortable.
“Ms. Bennett,” groaned the manager, tossing a stack of invoices onto his cluttered desk, “it’s the end of the year and a handful of companies haven’t settled their accounts yet. Every time our sales reps bring it up, they get the runaround—some say they’ll pay in a few days, others claim they need time to get their finances in order, and some have just gone off the grid.”
Dean rubbed his temples in clear frustration. The delicate balance of maintaining good business relationships while ensuring future cooperation meant he could only ask his team to be patient, to wait a little longer.
But the New Year was around the corner.
“Some of these execs have the money, but they just don’t plan on paying up. Our reps try to reach them, and they claim they’re out of the country.”
“Catch them in the act,” Ms. Bennett suggested. “Make it seem like a coincidence when they’re with other partners at an event. They’re less likely to refuse in front of others. Choose your words carefully, and maybe approach them during a dinner event where they can’t easily avoid you. If they’re deliberately withholding payment, we’ll cut off their supply. If they’re genuinely in a tough spot, we can settle for a partial payment—for now, every little bit counts.”
“And if our sales reps still can’t collect the money?” Dean inquired, seeking advice.
“Then it’s time for the finance department to step in and audit the accounts.”
Once the finance department got involved and started formal auditing to confirm the amount of debt, any subsequent litigation would be straightforward. With an audit report in hand, the debtor’s chances of winning a lawsuit were slim to none.
Of course, that was the nuclear option, a last resort when all else failed.“Let the finance folks have a talk with them first. If that doesn’t work, then you let me know,” Ms.
Bennett concluded, glancing at her watch. “I need to head out now.”
Dean checked the time; it was barely three in the afternoon and Mirabella was already leaving.
But then again, Ms. Bennett was unpredictable and always on the move.
Meanwhile, at another location.
Louisa slammed the coffee table, fuming. “These people are out of line! Saying that only lip-syncing could produce such flawless vocals? Maybe it’s hard for them to reach that level, but for Bella, singing is as easy as breathing. They can’t do it themselves, so they accuse others of faking it!”
“Exactly,” Kenneth agreed, visibly upset as he scrolled through the trending topics on his phone.
“They’re even saying Bella was just mouthing the words, that the performance we heard was pre-
recorded. I’ll have someone cool this down. It’s outrageous, the nerve of some people!”
Accusations of lip-syncing were bad enough, but they didn’t stop there. Rumors were spreading that Bella’s past songs were plagiarized, with some claiming she had copied up to eighteen different tracks —an absurd assertion.
“We can’t just suppress this; people will say Bella’s paying to have comments deleted,” Louisa pondered their next move when a new headline caught her eye, “David Collins steps forward to confirm.”
She quickly clicked on the link. Her son, David, had posted on Twitter that Summer was indeed singing live, accompanying his statement with a simple image captioned, “Case closed.”
His word was the strongest testimony, and public opinion began to shift in his favor.
[David said it, so it must be true—Summer was singing live!][How could David not know about lip-syncing? What can you tell from watching on TV? David was right there during the concert; his word is final!]
[David is the best witness!]
[I believe David!]
[So do I!]
Simultaneously, another trending topic appeared, “Ms. Kiki Strikes Back.”
Curious, Louisa clicked on the news, only to discover that Bella’s agent, Ms. Kiki, had posted dozens of screenshots from users who had accused Bella of lip-syncing and plagiarism. She had preserved each one and was now sending out legal notices, preparing to take each accuser to court.
Louisa had zero tolerance for anyone slandering Summer.
Summer’s fans rallied to her defense, praising Ms. Kiki for taking legal action, saying it was high time these gossipmongers learned that there is a price to pay for spreading rumors.
Louisa started to feel relief as public opinion shifted in her daughter’s favor.
Serena, who had been gloating just moments ago, had even created multiple fake accounts to join in the online bashing of Summer.
But in a blink, the tide turned!
Summer’s fans fiercely defended her, and even David’s supporters joined in because Summer had shown support for their star, David.
They rebuked every single person who dared to insult Summer.
Serena’s vitriolic comments about Summer received hundreds of replies each, all castigating her and standing up for Summer.
Serena was nearly apoplectic with rage. She couldn’t understand how Summer’s fans could so blindly defend her. Didn’t they have the slightest doubt that the flawless vocals at the concert, amidst all that noise, might have been pre-recorded?
Why were they so foolish?
Even if they enjoyed Summer’s singing, did that justify such blind devotion?
Seething with anger, Serena argued with them, but it was clear she was no match for them.
They were too many, and their words too harsh; soon, Serena felt her heart pounding with fury.It was outrageous!
The things they said were just too much!
They cursed her and her family in ways unspeakable!
Only a star with no class would have fans with no class, spewing classless insults!
After fuming for a while, Serena saw the trending topic, “Ms. Kiki Strikes Back.”
Only then did she realize that Ms. Kiki had sued all those who had defamed Summer. Surprisingly, the formidable woman had quickly tracked down the netizens’ details and sent them legal notices.
To avoid her fake accounts being targeted as well, Serena reluctantly began deleting her inflammatory posts and the exchanges she had with other users.
But Summer’s fans didn’t seem inclined to let her off the hook. They bombarded her inboxes, asking if she was feeling guilty and was scared of being sued by Ms. Kiki. They also mentioned that they had taken screenshots of her posts and arguments and sent them privately to Ms. Kiki.
Chilled to the bone with anger, Serena thought these people were too much! Even after she had deleted her comments, they continued to harass her.
After cursing them out once more, she rapidly blocked them. Due to the sheer number of people, her fingers ached from the effort, and eventually, she emptied her Twitter, refusing to receive any private messages.
To save herself further aggravation, she signed out of her account.
She wondered what her parents were up to at that moment.Suddenly, she remembered the telescope in the building—a gift from her dad’s old friend, Theodore, from ages ago. She hadn’t given it much thought back then, but now it seemed like a good distraction.
Frantically, she rummaged through her belongings to find the telescope.
Serena went out to the balcony, a pair of telescope in hand, to spy on the bustle at the main house.
Right on cue, a group of people arrived dressed in formal attire, radiating a familiar professional vibe.